


A Modest Tale

by TheGeekySquirrel



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesty Spoilers, Barclay's also mentioned, Children's Stories, Friends to Lovers, Hollice is Pure, It cleans my soul, Maiden and the Selkie AU, Other, Selkies, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, TAZ Amnesty Spoilers, but he's not really there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 12:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20115340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGeekySquirrel/pseuds/TheGeekySquirrel
Summary: Three people walk into a bar to hear a quick tale.





	A Modest Tale

There’s a little town by the sea that’s hidden in plain sight. It’s got nothing special about it at all, besides a pretty forest nearby. Almost everyone goes right past it. The few who do stop there are normally only there to rest up at a sleepy little lodge teetering between the forest and the beach. Those nights are never anything special. Usually, the strangers get a room and are long gone by the next morning. 

But tonight’s different. Three people walk into the lodge and rent their room, as usual. But one of them isn’t a stranger. No, they know his face, even if it hasn’t been seen around these parts in years. He leads his companions into the bar and starts striking up conversations with the regulars. All of them know that boy. One of his friends- a too-charming silver fox- strikes up a conversation with the forest-dweller who’s always flirting with the bartender. The other one ends up awkwardly exchanging laughter and flushed faces with a blonde girl in the corner. That’s rather ordinary though, for a homecoming. It’s when the town’s storyteller walks in that the evening becomes interesting. 

The not-a-stranger calls out to him from the bar, “Hey, Indrid!”

And the storyteller looks up, almost startled at first, but his expression fades into an almost inhuman grin. He goes right up to sit next to that boy. And, as always, the storyteller man asks if his returned friend would like to hear the story. The one their whole town has always known. Maybe it was the strangers he’d brought with him, or maybe it was just all the time he spent away, but for the first time anyone could remember, that not-a-stranger says yes. So, the storyteller starts right where it always starts. 

“There’s something out in the sea. All we know about them is they are seal-creatures who can shed their skins to become human under the light of the moon. A few men claim they’ve taken wives from these seals, but we know the truth. Only one person has ever seen a seal person in its moonlight form. This is their story. 

“By all accounts, they were an intrepid young person who lived in the mountains to the west with a group of other wild young people. Everyone who knew them could say nothing but good. They didn’t go to the sea often, until one day in spring. We’d never seen seals around this part until that year. Most say it was fate that drew them to our part of the ocean. Others blame it on a simple coincidence. Whatever the cause, seals were spotted in our bay for the very first time one cold spring night, by that very youth. Rumor has it that was the night they met the young prince of the seals. The prince was one of those very seal people who shed their skins. Legend says the youth and the prince became fast friends who told tales of their worlds to each other over the nights they shared. But each had to return to their own world before daybreak.”

The smiling storyteller paused here for a gulp of water. He had the entire room’s attention at this point, though many of them had known the tale their entire lives. The storyteller closed his eyes behind his red sunglasses as he continued. 

“One night, near the end of summer, the prince did not show up to greet the youth. They waited for him long into the night, until it was clear that they would not see their friend that day. On the next night, the youth found their friend waiting with tears trailing down his face. The prince revealed that his family would have to leave at the end of summer for southern waters. It shocked the youth that they’d soon lose their friend, and even as they knew it must happen, they could not bear to part from the seal prince. They could barely swallow their sorrow long enough to wish the prince and his family a safe journey. Just as they did, the prince burst into loud sobs. He confessed that he’d fallen in love with his human friend and parting with them would surely break his heart. It was to his surprise when the youth confessed the same to him. But the seal prince could not remain on land, as the sun’s rays would be his doom, and the youth could not join him in the water, as no human can find their breath in the sea. 

“The pair pondered on what to do, until the youth remembered an old witch and her brother who lived on the edge of town.”

“As I recall, she wasn’t that old,” the owner of the establishment grumbled suddenly. The storyteller chuckled and winked over his glasses at her, “Yes, you’re quite right, Madeline. I must have misspoken. The witch was quite youthful, and had a kind heart as well. She listened to the two lovers as they explained their predicament without interrupting or casting any judgment. Once they were done, she told them of a skin her brother had buried under a knotted tree dep in the forest. Whoever wore it would have their greatest desire come true. The youths thanked the witch and journeyed deep into the forest to seek the tree. But, the further they got from the sea, the weaker the prince grew, until his companion was forced to carry him. They reached the tree an hour before day was to break. The youth got to digging up the skin as quickly as he could.

“And that’s all we know of the tale.”

“Are you kidding me?” the silver fox groaned from the edge of his seat, “That’s the end?! What happened to the prince?”

The older of his companions came to sit beside him with a grin. Behind him, two young people walked into the bar holding hands. 

“Well, Ned, it kinda varies, dependin’ on who’s telling it. I like to think they got the skin and lived to see the dawn. Most folks agree they’re still among us in one form or another.”

He glanced behind him to send a wink to the pair who’d just entered. They grinned back at him as they set their seal fur coats on the coat rack and went to sit with the young ladies in the corner. The bar went back to its ways as the two out-of-towners looked at each other from across the room. The lady shrugged and turned back to greet her new companions, oblivious as her friend continued to watch her table. He eventually smiled before going back to talking with the bartender. 

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the end note! Did y'all like this one? Y'know I had to do my own take on Jake's true form; I totally didn't expect it. So here's my shipping fic, it's short as hell and I love it. Tbh though, I kinda rushed it because of my next project, a fun little AU that's guaranteed to come with a lot of angst that I really hope y'all will enjoy as much as I do. Stay tuned for that ;) Hope y'all have a great day, and stay safe!
> 
> If you liked this, please consider leaving a kudos or a comment, I really appreciate every single one.


End file.
